Sir Ken Robinsons in his book mention that life isn't linear and it evolves through a constant process of improvisation.
Most of us have a plan for success but as you probably know by now, sometimes life doesn't go according to plan. In fact success in any endeavour is usually not a linear path. It involves some ups and downs and the willingness to veer off the beaten path and take the scenic route. The traditional view of how people become successful looks something like;
Study hard at school
Get a good job
Do well
Get promoted
Get a better job
Get promoted until you’re at the top
Sounds like a nice and simple plan doesn't it? It rarely goes that way for anybody who has done something of significance. But somehow we’re convinced that forcing square pegs into round holes is how we succeed. Unfortunately there are going to be circumstances that are simply out of your control that will force you to alter your plans. There’s no question that to make progress in life you’re going to have to be flexible. You can’t exactly walk in a straight line when it might require one turn in a different direction in order to get to your destination. However, there are multiple paths to any destination and making too many plans is what limits possibility during our journey. Flexibility isn't about compromising your core values or giving into somebody else’s demands. It’s about the willingness to try something different when what you’re doing is not working.
Steve Jobs in his famous Stanford commencement speech about connecting the dots once said “you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” The events that have transpired over the last couple of years, months and weeks, even though a perpetual roller coaster ride have finally seemed to connect.
And upon reflecting Sir Ken's argument about life isn't linear, if we were to list down all the major things that happened in our life, that most of it happened out of our control. We realised that we cannot control 60% of the things in our lives. But with the 40% that we have, we can try our best. It does not matter if we fail. We need to recognise that we are vulnerable. That gives us the peace of mind. That is accepting Qada & Qadar for Muslims